A day at the DIA

Cindy had to work today, so she wasn';t able to come with us to see the Detroit Institute of Art. On the way we drove through some of the inner suburbs, where many grand old homes lie derelict and sadly crumbling. The recession in America was particularly unkind to Motown.

However, the DIA is a splendid art gallery. The Great Hall behind the main entry is a magnificent room with high vaulted ceilings.

It houses a substantial collection of armour from the middle ages. These along with the decorative guns and swords are something we haven't seen in other galleries. We were in awe of the incredibly high quality workmanship and fine etching. The adjoining gallery has huge murals painted by Diego Rivera. It is a world class gallery with works from all eras and around the globe.

We ate lunch at their cafeteria before tackling the rest of the collection. We spent a very pleasant day wandering through the many rooms filled with art.

(A wooden motorcycle!)

We left the gallery a few minutes before it closed, which worked out well because thunder was booming all around as we walked out and the rain started pouring down soon after we drove out of the car park.

The thunderstorm was quite intense and flooded some of the roads.

Warren and Cindy have twin daughters, one of whom will be married this Saturday. The other is skilled at making and decorating cakes. There were icing flowers all over the dining room. Warren and Cindy seem to enjoy their grandchildren a great deal. Their place is alive when their family visits, and Warren clearly enjoys having his grandsons to play with.